How to Complete an Intelius Opt Out Guide [+ Examples]
To opt out of Intelius, follow our Intelius opt-out guide below.
Intelius describes itself as “a leading provider of public data about people and their connections to others.”
In other words, it’s a people search site that provides personal information (contact details, family information, employment and education history, social media, etc.) about individuals.
Since the information it sells comes from public records, what Intelius (and other people search sites) does is not illegal. That said, having your personal data available on Intelius does increase your risk of threats like harassment, stalking, doxxing, social engineering, and more.
The good news is that you can remove your personal data from Intelius by opting out.
Read on for step-by-step instructions on how to complete an Intelius opt-out.
Here’s what we cover:
Table of Contents
For a quicker and easier alternative to manual opt outs, subscribe to DeleteMe.
What Is Intelius?
Intelius is a people search site.
It gathers information from a wide variety of sources (public records, social media profiles, etc.), combines it into comprehensive people reports, and sells these reports to more or less anyone who wants them.
Intelius’ reports can include information like your:
- Full name.
- Any known aliases.
- Age.
- Phone numbers and email addresses.
- Current and past addresses.
- Employment and education history.
- Possible relatives, associates, and relationships.
- Possible images.
- Possible criminal and traffic records.
- Social and business profiles.
- Business profiles.
- Finances (bankruptcies, liens, etc.)
- And more.
To find this data about you through Intelius, all someone needs is your name, address, or phone number.
There are many reasons why someone might use Intelius. For example, to reconnect with old friends, check a potential date’s criminal record, or find out who owns the number calling you. Or to stalk you, harass you, or socially engineer you.
There’s no way to know if someone looks you up on Instant Checkmate. The site does not alert individuals when someone searches for their name.
If you think your information is on Intelius, you’re probably also listed on Whitepages. Want to opt out of Whitepages? Read our Whitepages opt-out guide.
How to Opt Out of Intelius
Opt out of Intelius in 12 steps.
1. Go to the Intelius website and click “Do Not Sell Or Share Your Personal Information” in the footer
Go to https://www.intelius.com/ and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Click “Do Not Sell Or Share My Personal Information” in the footer.
2. Click “View Public Data Tools”
You will be redirected to Intelius ‘Data Privacy Center’ page.
Here, you have two options:
- User Data Tools.
- Public Data Tools.
User data is the data Intelius collects about you when you’re on their site.
Public Data Tools is the data Intelius collects about you through third-party sources. This is the option you want.
Click the “View Public Data Tools” button on the right.
3. Click “Manage My Suppression Rules”
The ‘Public Data Tools’ box will expand with information on how to suppress your Intelius background report.
Click the “Manage My Suppression Rules” button.
4. Enter your email address
Enter your email address.
Click the checkbox to agree to the terms of use and privacy policy and receive emails about using the suppression tool.
Click the “Continue” button.
5. Click the email confirmation link
People Connect (who manages the opt-out process on Intelius’s behalf) will email you to confirm your request.
Go to your email inbox.
Find the email from PeopleConnect and click the “Verify Email” button.
Note: If you don’t see the email from PeopleConnect, check your spam folder.
Note: The link will expire within 15 minutes.
6. Enter your date of birth
You will be redirected to a page asking you for your date of birth.
Select your date of birth.
Click the checkbox to verify that the birthdate you entered is correct. You cannot change your birthdate after this step.
Click the “Continue” button.
7. Enter your name
You will be redirected to a page asking for your legal name.
Enter your first, middle (optional), and last name.
Click the “Continue” button.
8. Select your record
You’ll see a list of one or more possible records.
Select the record that matches you.
Click the “Continue” button.
9. Select your verification method
Next, you’ll be prompted to select either an email address or phone number associated with your record to confirm your identity.
Select your verification method of choice.
Click the “Request Verification Code” button.
10. Enter the verification code
Enter the verification code you received.
Click the “Submit Verification Code” button.
11. Click “Continue”
Click the “Continue” button.
12. Hide your profile
Next, you’ll be able to change your identity’s visibility from “Displayed” to “Suppressed.” Do so and click the “Save” button.
After you click “Save,” the site will process, but you won’t receive an additional confirmation beyond “Suppressed” remaining in the “Desired Behavior” field.
What Happens After You Opt Out of Intelius?
Once you complete your Intelius opt-out request, they will suppress your personal data. This means your personal data won’t be findable through the Intelius website.
However, if Intelius comes across more of your personal data, they will more than likely relist your profile, and people will again be able to find your personal details.
To prevent this from happening, you need to re-check Intelius once in a while. If your information is relisted, you’ll have to opt out of Intelius again.
Alternatively, you can subscribe to a data broker removal service such as DeleteMe to have privacy experts conduct opt-outs from Intelius and other people search sites on your behalf.
Intelius Opt Out FAQs
Here are some common questions people have about opting out of Intelius.
Is Intelius legit?
Intelius is legit in that it actually shows you people’s personal information. However, the accuracy of this information can vary widely.
Is Intelius free?
No, Intelius is not free. The site charges money for its reports, which contain personal information about individuals.
Is Intelius safe?
Depends on your definition of “safe.”
The official Intelius website is safe in the sense that it’s not a scam and will not infect you with malware. It employs standard security measures such as 256-bit encryption to protect user data (email address and password) and payment information.
That said, the data it shares may not be up-to-date or even accurate, which may not be safe depending on what you’re using it for.
Additionally, even though selling publicly available data is legal, having your personal information on sites like Intelius can put you at risk of stalking, doxxing, harassment, social engineering attacks, and other threats. For this reason, it is recommended that you opt out of Intelius and other people search sites.
Does Intelius notify the other person?
No, Intelius does not notify the person. This means the person you looked up will not know you searched for them. However, this also means there is no way for you to know when someone looks you up on Intelius, either.
Does Intelius work?
Yes, Intelius works – it provides personal information about individuals, just like it says it does. However, the data it provides may not be accurate.
Is Intelius a scam?
No, Intelius is not a scam. It really does provide personal information about people, including their contact details, family information, and more. However, the accuracy of this data can vary hugely.
Is Intelius legitimate?
Yes, Intelius is a legitimate site that provides personal data about individuals.
How to remove your information from Intelius?
You must fill out a suppression form to remove your information from Intelius. You can see how to do this in our step-by-step Intelius opt-out guide.
What is Intelius used for?
Intelius can be used for various different purposes, like personal background checks (i.e., looking up new neighbors, friends, dates, etc.), reconnecting with lost friends, and building family trees.
Intelius has a disclaimer on its homepage saying its services shouldn’t be used to determine a person’s eligibility for employment, credit, housing, insurance, or any other purpose covered by the FCRA.
Is Intelius trustworthy?
Not really. The information on Intelius may or may not be accurate and/or up-to-date. That’s because Intelius merely collates information about people, it does not verify it.
Is Intelius a safe site?
Yes, Intelius is a safe site from the perspective that you’re unlikely to get malware from visiting it.
However, it’s not safe in the sense that it displays your personal information – which anyone can access.
Does Intelius show text messages?
No, Intelius does not show text messages.
How accurate is Intelius?
As is the case with any people search site, the accuracy of Intelius can vary hugely. Intelius collects information about individuals and puts it all in one place, but it does not verify whether it is accurate.
Intelius say so themselves: “Due to circumstances that are out of our control, it is possible that incomplete or out of date information may sometimes present itself on our reports.”
Does Intelius actually work?
Yes, Intelius works. It provides people’s personal information just like it says it does. But, this information may not always be accurate or up-to-date.
Does Intelius opt out work?
Yes, Intelius opt out works.
However, opting out once may not be enough. Most people search sites republish people’s personal information when they come across more of it.
As a result, you need to re-check Intelius periodically to ensure your personal data has not reappeared. If it has, you’ll need to opt out again.
Or, you can subscribe to a data broker removal service such as DeleteMe to have privacy experts opt you out – and make sure you stay opted out – from people search sites like Intelius on your behalf.
How to cancel Intelius?
To cancel Intelius, follow the steps below:
- Log into your Intelius account.
- Hover over “My Account” in the top right.
- Click “Membership Settings.”
- Click “Cancel Subscription” under the relevant subscription.
After you cancel Intelius, remember to also opt out of it. Anyone can find your personal information through the site if you don’t.
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